{"id":1113,"date":"2013-01-14T13:06:33","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T13:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/investcro.virtualna-tvornica.hr\/?page_id=1113"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:13:07","slug":"building-permits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/investcroatia.gov.hr\/en\/building-permits\/","title":{"rendered":"Design and Construction of Buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING LICENCES (for information purposes only):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Construction Act (OG 155\/25) and the Physical Planning Act (OG 155\/25) regulate the design, construction, use and maintenance of buildings and the implementation of administrative and other associated procedures.<\/p>\n

E-PERMIT<\/a><\/h5>\n

The Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property has developed the ePermit system, allowing for the electronic issuing of all Building Permits and use permits.<\/p>\n

PURPOSE OF THE PLOT<\/h5>\n

Checking the permitted types of construction or reconstruction can be done by inspecting the relevant urban physical plan.\u00a0Urban physical plans can be viewed in the\u00a0Spatial Planning Information System<\/a>.<\/p>\n

LOCATION INFORMATION<\/h5>\n

Information on the purpose of areas and conditions for implementing physical interventions from urban physical plans on specific land lots are available from competent state offices for physical planning and construction or using the e-Permit system by entering location information.<\/p>\n

ELABORATION OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN<\/h5>\n

Conceptual Design is a set of mutually compliant designs and documents made by experts from different fields who participate in the design process, depending on the type of the project, providing the basic formal, functional and technical solutions of the project, defining the position of the building on the land plot and determining the basic parameters for construction. It is developed by authorized architectural designers and authorized engineers.
\nA Conceptual Design is prepared in case of a project for which Location Permit is issued. Also, a Conceptual Solution, as a basis of Conceptual Design, is a mandatory part of the application for the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure.
\nThe list of designers is available through the system ePermit, as well as on the web pages of the Croatian Chamber of Architects, Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers, Croatian Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, Croatian Chamber of Electrical Engineers and the Croatian Chamber of Chartered Geodetic Engineers.<\/p>\n

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)<\/h5>\n

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of assessing the acceptability of the intended intervention with regard to the environment and determining the necessary environmental protection measures, in order to reduce the impacts to the smallest possible extent and achieve the greatest possible preservation of the quality of the environment. The assessment procedure is carried out in the early stages of project planning, before the issuance of a Location Permit or other approval for a project for which the issuance of a Location Permit is not mandatory.
\nThe environmental Impact Assessment procedure is prescribed in the Environmental Protection Act (OG, 80\/13, 153\/13, 78\/15, 12\/18 and 118\/18) and in the Regulation on Environmental Impact Assessment (OG, 61\/14 and 3\/17). The competent body is the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition. The list in Annex I of the Regulation includes the interventions for which the Environmental Impact Assessment is obligatory. The lists in Annex II and III of the Regulation on Environmental Impact Assessment include the interventions for which Screening (assessment of the need for Environmental Impact Assessment) is carried out.
\nMore detailed information (Croatian) is available at the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition.<\/p>\n

LOCATION PERMIT<\/h5>\n

For most construction projects, Location Permit is not necessary.
\nThe Location Permit is issued for the following developments (interventions in physical space):
\n– exploitation fields of solid mineral raw materials, construction of mining facilities and plants intended for mining works (for exploitation fields of hydrocarbon, geothermal water for energy purposes, underground storage of gases and permanent disposal of gases in geological structures, location permit is not issued, these interventions are regulated by special law);
\n– restoration of inactive exploitation fields of mineral raw materials (e.g. permanent waste disposal etc..), except for basic technical restoration with the aim of preventing the hazard for people, property, nature and environment;
\n– oil-mining facilities and plants for exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, geothermal waters for energy purposes, underground storage of gases and permanent disposal of carbon dioxide in geological structures in the exploration area i.e. exploitation field, determined by a special law on exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons and geothermal waters;
\n– the establishment of new military sites and military buildings,
\nprojects in the area, which according to special regulations governing construction, are not considered construction projects,
\nstage and\/or phased construction of the building;
\n– complex investment projects;
\n– complex spatial interventions;
\n– complex structures;
\n– construction on land or construction for which the investor has not resolved property relations or for which expropriation is required;
\n– interventions on maritime property for which concession for the construction of objects or the installation of maritime objects is issued according to the special regulation on concessions, as well as those that are constructed or installed based on a special-use agreement pursuant to the legislation governing the maritime domain and seaports;
\n– construction of buildings if the party so requests.<\/p>\n

The procedure for issuing a Location Permit is initiated at the request of an interested party, submitted electronically through the e-Permit electronic permitting system.
\nThe following documents shall be enclosed with the application for a Location Permit:
\n– the Conceptual Design and its Executive Summary;
\n– the Environmental Impact Assessment Decision and\/or the Appropriate Assessment Decision for the ecological network, where the proposed spatial development is subject to such decisions in accordance with the special regulations governing environmental and nature protection;
\n– the Screening Decision on the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment, where the proposed spatial development is subject to such a decision in accordance with the special regulations governing environmental and nature protection;
\n– the decision on the recognition (nostrification) of the Conceptual Design, where the design has been prepared in accordance with foreign regulations;
\n– proof of legal interest, for spatial developments in respect of which special legislation prescribes the persons entitled to carry them out.<\/p>\n

SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND CONNECTION CONDITIONS<\/h5>\n

Special Conditions are conditions for carrying out developments (interventions in physical space), while Connection Conditions are conditions that determine the technical feasibility and technical requirements for connecting developments to the existing low-voltage or medium-voltage electricity network, public water supply and sewage systems, stormwater drainage, transport surfaces, electronic communication facilities, energy infrastructure facilities, or other infrastructure facilities.
\nFor buildings for which a Location Permit is issued, the Special Conditions and\/or Connection Conditions are determined in the Location Permit issuance procedure electronically via the e-Permit system. The Special Conditions and\/or Connection Conditions determined for the Conceptual Design form an integral part of the Location Permit and cease to be valid upon termination of the validity of the Location Permit.<\/p>\n

For buildings for which a Location Permit is not required, the Special Conditions and Connection Conditions are determined prior to initiating the procedure for issuing a Building Permit, for the purpose of preparing the Conceptual Design or the Main Design.
\nThe Special Conditions and Connection Conditions are obtained electronically by the designer through the e-Permit system.<\/p>\n

ELABORATION OF MAIN DESIGN<\/h5>\n

The Main Design is a set of systematically compliant projects incorporating a technical solution for the building and proving the fulfilment of basic requirements for the building and other stipulated and determined requirements and conditions. Depending on the type of building i.e. construction works, the Main Design consists of the architectural design, construction design, electrical design, and machinery design.
\nFor the purpose of determining the compliance of the Main Design with Special Conditions, i.e. special conditions determined by the location permit, a public body designated by a special regulation, at the request of the administrative body, i.e. the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, in the process of issuing a Building Permit, issues a confirmation that the Main Design was made in accordance with the Special Conditions, i.e. special conditions determined by the Location Permit. The confirmation of the Main Design is the precondition for issuing the Building Permit. <\/p>\n

BUILDING PERMIT<\/h5>\n

A Building Permit is required to start the (re)construction of a building. The application for the Building Permit is submitted by the investor electronically through the e-Permit system.
\nThe Building Permit application for which a Location Permit is not issued according to special law is to be accompanied by:
\n– the Main Design;
\n– expert studies (such as geotechnical, fire protection, landscape etc.), where prescribed by a special law or where necessary;
\n– a summary of the implementation of the measures determined in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure, the Screening Procedure for determining the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment, and\/or the Appropriate Assessment procedure for evaluating the project’s effects on the ecological network, where such procedures are prescribed by law or otherwise required;
\n– the Energy Certificate, where required by the technical regulation governing the rational use of energy and thermal protection in buildings;
\n– a statement of the building\u2019s acoustic performance, where required by the technical regulation governing acoustics in buildings;
\n– a report on the review of the Main Design, where such review is required;
\n– a report on the confirmation of the Main Design, where the design has been prepared in accordance with foreign regulations;
\n– proof of legal interest for the issuance of a Building Permit;
\n– proof that the applicant is eligible to act as an investor, for example: a concession, consent, or other legal act prescribed by special regulations, where the building is of a type for which special regulations specify who may act as the investor;
\n– proof that the owner of the building land has fulfilled the obligation to transfer part of the land into the ownership of the local self-government unit, or the obligation to conclude an easement agreement for vehicle access and\/or passage, as prescribed by the legislation governing spatial planning, where such an obligation exists;
\n– a list of residential units containing all data on housing quality in accordance with the regulations governing the Central Population Register, where residential units are planned within the building.
\nThe Building Permit ceases to be valid if the investor does not begin construction within six years from the starting date of permit validity. The Building Permit issued by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets ceases to be valid if the investor does not begin construction within eight years from the starting date of the permit <\/p>\n

NOTICE OF COMMENCING CONSTRUCTION, STAKING OUT AND DESIGNATING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE<\/h5>\n

The investor is required to electronically notify the competent building authority that issued the Building Permit and the building inspection authority of the commencement of construction or the continuation of works no later than five days before the start of construction.
\nIn the notification of the commencement of construction of a building carried out based on a Building Permit, the investor is required to provide the class, reference number, and date of issuance of the Building Permit, as well as the contractor and the supervising engineer. The investor must also attach a certified setting out survey, if such a document is required.<\/p>\n

DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION OF THE BUILDING<\/h5>\n

The Construction Act stipulates that, depending on its complexity, a building must be completed with regard to its external appearance and the landscaping\/arrangement of the building plot within the following periods:<\/p>\n

– ten years if the Building Permit for the building is issued by the Ministry;
\n– five years if the building is classified as a less complex building;
\n– seven years for all other categories of buildings.<\/p>\n

The deadline for completing the building begins to run from the date of notification of the commencement of construction.<\/p>\n

USE PERMIT<\/h5>\n

A constructed or reconstructed building may only be put into use, commissioned, and may only be subject to the issuance of a decision permitting the performance of activities pursuant to a special regulation after a Use Permit has been issued for that building. The Use Permit is issued by the competent building authority that issued the Building Permit, after a technical inspection has established that the building has been constructed in accordance with the Building Permit. The application for the Use Permit is submitted by the investor, i.e., the owner of the building or facility, to the competent body for administrative affairs covering construction or via the e-Permit system.
\nThe application for issuing the Use Permit shall be accompanied by the following:
\n– the Building Permit;
\n– information on the participants involved in the construction;
\n– a written statement by the contractor confirming that the works have been carried out, certified with a qualified electronic signature;
\n– the programme and maintenance procedures for the building and the installed equipment, prepared by the contractor;
\n– the final report of the supervising engineer on the execution of the construction works;
\n– a statement by an authorized geodetic engineer confirming that the building has been positioned on the building plot, or within the scope of the development, in accordance with the Building Permit and the main design;
\n– an as-built geodetic survey of the building or a geodetic report and\/or another document prescribed by special regulations, on the basis of which buildings, other structures, infrastructure, and land use are recorded in the cadastre, the infrastructure cadastre, and the land register, including data on the boundary points of the building, the building plot, or the development area, submitted electronically in GML format;
\n– proof that the building plot has been established in the cadastre, where the building is one for which the location permit defines the scope of the development area within which the building plot is formed by means of a subdivision survey;
\n– an energy certificate for the building, where the application relates to a building that is required to comply with energy efficiency requirements; and
\n– proof provided by the contractor confirming the proper disposal of unused construction materials and the proper management of construction waste.
\nThe list of required documents differs to a certain extent where the application concerns residential buildings containing dwelling units, including multi-apartment residential buildings.<\/p>\n

TECHNICAL INSPECTION<\/h5>\n

The Ministry, i.e., the competent administrative body, is obliged to perform a technical inspection of the building within thirty or fifteen days from the day of receiving a valid application for the issuance of a Use Permit. Technical inspection is performed to determine whether the constructed building complies with the Building Permit, i.e., the Main Design, and for a less complex building, the technical inspection is carried out for the purpose of determining whether the building has been constructed in accordance with the location conditions specified in the Building Permit and the Conceptual Design.
\nA Use Permit shall be issued within eight days of the date on which the technical inspection is completed, provided that:
\n– the prescribed documentation has been submitted together with the application for its issuance;
\n– the building has been constructed in accordance with the Building Permit;
\n– the building has been connected to the public road and to other utility structures and installations or other infrastructure specified in the Building Permit;
\n– all temporary structures, construction site equipment, construction and other materials, and waste have been removed and properly disposed of; and
\n– the land within the construction site and the access route to the construction site has been restored to a clean and orderly condition.<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property of the Republic of Croatia:<\/p>\n

Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property
\nUlica Republike Austrije 20
\n10 000 Zagreb
\nPhone: +385 1 3782 444<\/p>\n

www.mgipu.gov.hr<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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